Advice about moving to a flat

Pros of flats: can be quite sociable, sense of people around you might make you feel secure, easy to look after. Cons of flats: neighbour noise, uncomfortable proximity if you don't get on with neighbours, joint expenses, sometimes the common parts look neglected because no-one takes responsibility. It's a tough call. We have lived in some great flats, although at the moment feeling the need for greater privacy and more control over expenses. You might be able to get an idea from the management company of any block of flats what sort of expenses have applied over the past ten years, say. Best of luck. Nearly all of our property decisions have been quite impulsive so maybe you'll just see something and fall in love with it.

Not all flats are leasehold or run by management, you just have to look around . Yes, a flat apartment in a small block requires an annual fee towards the maintenance etc and that would depend on the area of your choice to the amount you'd have to pay.

I'd stay put if I were you as you've got nobody either above or beneath you, which can pose a problem too.
I'm with your daughter here that it would indeed be a bad move.

Impulse moving is rarely a good move at the best of times

We’ve lived in flats, houses and are now in a bungalow.
Hated the flats, no outside space, every time we went out we had to ‘dress’ , at home you can just pop on a woolie and potter around.
We rarely saw our other neighbours, once their door was shut that was it, but we certainly heard them, clopping around day and night, they probably heard us with 2 small children too. But a flat with a balcony would at least let you step out of doors.
If you bought a terraced house or a semi, would you still have some money left over?
Don’t forget that wherever you move, the fees will be an amount to be factored in.

There are flats and flats! We are so very glad that we moved to a flat from our family home. Its a 60s building so is much more spacious than more modern ones and there's loads of storage space. It has a large beautiful garden which is maintained by our resident caretaker and residents who like gardening. The management charge covers insurance, maintenance, lighting etc etc so we don't have these to worry about.
The only snag is the insulation is not up to modern standards but we deal with that by having full length fleece lined curtains for the winter.
The neighbours are mostly kindred spirits. Noise isn't a problem. I know we are very lucky but I didn't want the OP to think that all flats are awful!!

The trouble is with flats, you just never know when an awkward or noisy person might move in to the flat above or below you, and make your life hell. Plus the maintenance costs which are rather outside your control.

I was going to say, you could probably sell a bungalow and buy a cheaper but nicely done up terraced house with perhaps a little courtyard garden. But then there are the stairs, if ever you had mobility problems. You could choose a house with straight stairs and enough room for stair lift.

Hard to say, without knowing exactly what you don't like about your bungalow. Maybe friends/family could suggest some improvements that wouldn't cost the earth. Others sometimes have great ideas you might not have considered. If you made the bungalow yours by decoration etc, you might start to like it more. Good luck.

As Jane says, there are flats and there are flats.

When I divorced 16 years ago I moved into my lovely ground floor flat, with private garden, in the middle of London next to the Thames. To say I love it here is an understatement.

As to neighbours - unless you live in the middle of nowhere, you are at the mercy of your neighbours: so many tales on GN of those in houses having disputes over shared drives, noise, fencing, boundaries, noisy DIY, unkempt gardens, etc.

At least in a well-managed development with a proper lease, you have some basic rules!

We moved from always living in houses to a flat.
I won’t tell you what to think but I will give you our list of priorities that we had when looking for ours. We have been in ours 11 years now and love it.

A purpose built flat not a conversion. Soundproofing is better and pipes are in the right places.

Not a new development so you get a chance to see how the property is maintained normally.

Not too small a development. If it’s only 4 or 6 flats the charges don’t usually generate enough money to keep the maintenance up.

Not too big a development so you get lost in numbers or tennants.

We bought our flat it is not leasehold and the owners run the management company. Ask for back copies of management meetings so you can judge how things are run and what costs are.

Look at the ‘rules’ of the place you are thinking of. Does it state no hard flooring (you do not want to have noisy people clomping around on uncarpeted floors above you.)

Do the rules mention anything about noise restrictions. Ours state no noise that can be heard outside your own apartment between 11pm at night and 8am in the morning.

Check on insurance cover. Who is responsible if the flat above leaks water into yours.
Off the top of my head that’s the best I can come up with.
Good luck ?

Would it be possible to move to a different bungalow with a more desirable room layout, if that is your preference, and a smaller garden too instead of a flat. Detached properties are always the better option. I would never give that up to have closely attached neighbours. You will have to factor in £20,000-£30,000 to move though.

Moved from our big 4 bed house with a large garden to a new build 3 bed flat a couple of years ago. We have a large balcony and communal gardens to sit in. Love it. Love being on one floor. No problems with noise. We are on the top floor with a lift. Best decision we have made.

Maybe a 'retirement flat' in a building specifically for older people, could be worth considering.
(I have no experience of them, tho.)

Another alternative, equity release. If this would give funds to get your place as you want it, even paving garden partly to make it low maintenance.

I know this option is to be treated with great caution, but just an idea.

I moved from a house to a flat after I divorced my husband. As with everything, there are pros and cons. Security is better, you are less likely to be burgled. If you don't like being alone, it can be reassuring to know there are other people around.

On the negative side...there are communal areas and this can cause dispute. Some people make a lot of mess and leave it for others to clear up...you have to carry your rubbish downstairs to the bins (although some establishments have chutes). Other people can be very noisy, especially when family visit.

I sold my four bedroom house and bought a two bedroom flat.

The management company do all the maintenance work but they work for us.

Having spent time and money on maintaining the house I now don't have to worry about any outside work as we have contractors to do everything.

It has been a good move for me and noise has not been a problem, mostly because we are all mostly elderly.

I do miss having my own outside space in the summer but it is offset by the security we have here.

On the down side you may be unlucky and get noisy neighbours but that can happen in houses as well.

I moved from a house to a flat 4 years ago. It’s 3rd floor ( with a lift) so nobody above me. There is good sound proofing so I hear very little and have quiet neighbours on my floor.

The maintenance fees are fairly steep at £90 a month but I am in the SE. It is leasehold but some people are pursuing buying the freehold. I have a large balcony with pots of flowers and there’s plenty of room to sit out without a proper garden to take care of.

All in all I am pleased with my move , the flat is light and spacious and just fine for me

I moved from my house in London to a flat in Weston super Mare at the end of last year. Have not lived in a flat since I married in 1964.

Not a rushed decision. Do need to have a good list as to what you want in a flat. For me a large living room area, an en-sute as well as a bathroom (although it is just me) and a nice balcony were very important. I did also need a second bedroom for use for guests, and none of it too small and cramped.

The flat I have is run by a residents management cttee, not an outside company, keeps cost well down. The annual amount I pay also covers all water bills, and also the maintenance agreement/emergency call out for the boiler and central heating. It is actually costing me far less than these things did in the house.

If you run a car you may want a flat with its own garage, again not all blocks have these. Some do have dedicated outdoor parking - you need to know what is important to you.

I chose this block originally because of its central position. All but two of the flats have their own garage and there is also a private car park for visitors etc. The first flat I viewed here did not have a garage, so, that (for me ) was a No No.!!

Not all flats have lifts - this is something you will need to check, and also parking/garages. A lot of modern flats are quite small with the kitchen area at the end of the living room (not something I like )- I wanted a proper separate kitchen.

So, best advice I can give to you, is

(A) Know the area you wish to move to, think of pubic transport facilities, doctors, dentists, shops etc.

(B) Decide what is important to YOU in a place you are going to live.

(C) Spend lots of time looking and checking out lots of flats in your area - do not rush into a decision.

Took me four years - but I can only say that I am so very happy here, it is everything plus more that I could have wanted and I love living on one level with all rooms so easy to use.

PS just to add that all the flats in this block are freehold. So it is possible not to have leasehold. If it is leasehold there will be a usually reasonably small annual charge for this.

Another thing to consider - some blocks have minimum ages for their residents (usually 55 yrs) this does help to ensure no small children running around, and even teenagers are just visitors. However, some people prefer to live in flats with more age group - again it is a matter of personal preferance.

Think about which floor(s) you wish to live. Again some flats have rules in place forbidding laminate or hard wood flooring due to problems with noise for residents beneath you. I live on the first floor (only garages beneath me) so I can decide carpet or hard floor. Also, although we have a lovely lift, I do try to use the stairs if I am carrying anything heavy for some exercise. I have a large balcony, more like a small patio, very private and with garden furniture a small patio shed and lots of pots it is lovely to look at and sit in - and no gardener expense

My mum moved from a terraced house to a ground floor flat, she owned it. Small, but ideal for her, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, sitting room. It was freehold, no maintenance charges, one of four, two ground, two first floor.
She moved when she was 75, and lived there until she died at 92. It was very central in a little market town, she was able to shop until the last year or so.
It was very close to my sister’s home, and 10 minutes from me, so we were able to support her as she became frailer.
She had good neighbours on the whole, and had a happy 17 years there.

Most of the nicer flats in my area have very high maintenance charges which I felt would take a big chunk out of a pension. It may be cheaper if you are not in London or the south east.

My friend moved from a small house to a flat - and was very upset by a whole new set of problems.

There was no garden to worry about but constant noise from small children running about in the flat upstairs.

Residents left the outside doors wedged open, causing security problems, and, sometimes, rough sleepers in hallways.

Communal bin areas were often in a total mess with no room left for rubbish and recycling.

The maintenance, repair and redecorating of the outside involved a bill for several thousand pounds for each resident, on top of the usual service charge.

A pet dog, however small was not allowed, being against the rules.

There was no available parking nearby, except at extortionate rates.

In a heatwave, air conditioning became a necessity (no gardens, balcony, outside shade or through draft).

Costs became a problem, resulting in the need to have a lodger. Luckily, that worked out very well.

Think very carefully before you make any move. Gardens can be made low maintenance, help is available, and you can choose when, or whether, to have work done.

kangaroo, you can fall in love with your bungalow. You are seeing jobs as a whole lot of big jobs but they are so much easier to tackle when you break them down into smaller portions. Are the neighbours ok? the location, is that ok? If you say yes to both then make your bungalow your project and that will give you such great satisfaction in the years to come.

Goodness me, you have outside space and a garden, fresh air and you can get in touch with nature just by portioning off a rectangle and making a raised bed. Of course you can do it. Then fill it and make another with a pathway in between. I did it, a bit at a time and bit by bit, it becomes yours.

Similar in the bungalow, a small bit at a time. Projects for the future can make you happy, make you satisfied with your achievements. What you are doing now is you are considering running away from it but face it head on instead. Make it your home

Can you change the layout? In a bungalow, any room could be a sitting or bedroom. For the same cost as moving, perhaps some work could be done for you? I'd always pay to have ceilings painted but I'm quite happy to do walls (one by one).

Even making two rooms into a single larger one (by removing a wall) isn't that disruptive. Craftyone is quite right in that there is so much that can be done, gradually, to make a place suit your individual needs. Perhaps your daughter could help with the gardening?

A little word about management companies. I have experience of running one, having been chair/secretary of our small management company where I last lived. We were all freehold properties and we self managed the communal area and were able to keep the fees low at around £250 a year

Prior to that my husband and I were in a new build town house with 41 other properties, including 50% flats, some were in the manor house and the lift was part of management upkeep. We bought the freeholds but the communal areas still had to be managed and gardens attended and so on. The lift was a large on-going expense, it needed constant maintenance for safety reasons. The management charges there were £2000 pa per property and we also self-managed

Some people complained bitterly about the noise in flats above, washing machines, even flushing the toilet at night. The communal bin areas were also a problem because some properties were rented with absent landlords and some tenants did not care about keeping that bin area clean. Electricity in communal areas had to be paid for by the management company as well as building up a sinking fund for major future repairs

The house I live in now is freehold and new but we also have some communal outside space. My charge now is £250 a year

I moved from a house to live near my family.
I looked at buildings containing a minimum of 30 apartments. My priority was to be near family and within walking distance of facilities eg medical centre, library, community cantre, grocery stores and transit . I only looked at pet friendly buildings because I wanted a dog.
I bought an apartment (39 apartments in total) with parking and huge storage lockers in the underground parkade. There is a communal garden and patio. I have a balcony.
The management company is efficient and responsible for building insurance, cleaning of communal areas, window cleaning, gardening, garbage removal etc.etc.
I love the security because I have no worries when I go away.
I like living on one level (no stairs) and cleaning is a doddle.
It's a quiet building with a nice mixture of ages and responsible dog owners. Hope that helps.